Feeling Sleepy?
by ShutUpAndPaddle
Summary: Eric, Natalia, Walter and Zoe all find themselves in for a surprise when working a case. Whilst trying to find out about the current case, memories are re-awakened in Zoe's head and with Horatio out of the picture temporarily, who's there to keep her from completely losing it whilst something potentially deadly goes un-noticed.
1. Chapter 1

**Feeling Sleepy? **

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"It's negative." Zoë sighed as she looked to Horatio and held up the pregnancy test for Horatio to see while they stood in the middle of the brightly lit bathroom. She then threw the stick in the bin and looked down at the tiled bathroom floor as she took a deep breath. She bit her lip as she swallowed.

"It's okay Zoë, it's only been 3 weeks." Horatio said softly as he moved forwards and embraced her in a light hug. He placed his chin on top of her head as he looked over to the window that let in all of the natural light. He was slightly disappointed that the test wasn't positive, but knew that things took time.

"3 weeks is more than enough though, I don't understand why I'm not getting pregnant yet." She said as she looked up at Horatio and wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked down at her while she placed her chin on his chest and looked up at him through her lashes.

"Sometimes these things take time, we were just lucky with Maya, we were lucky to conceive her so easily. Patience Zoë, it'll all work out, I promise you." Horatio said softly as he rubbed her back and she nodded as she placed her cheek back against his chest and took a deep breath.

"Can we speak to Nathan though? Or Alexx, whoever you'd rather talk to; I'm happy with talking to either one of them." Zoë asked softly.

"Of course sweetheart, we'll talk to Nathan. If he can't answer your questions or put your mind at rest, then someone specialist can and he can point us in the right direction." Horatio said softly as he placed his chin back on the top of her head and felt her hands lightly moving over his lower back. He moved one hand into her hair while the other remained on her back.

"Will more sex help?" She asked as she turned her head again to look up at him with a sweet expression.

"I would assume it would improve the chances." Horatio said softly as he delicately pushed her fringe back and then ran his thumb from the corner of her eye to the corner of her lips with a soft expression as he looked into her beautiful coffee coloured eyes.

"Can we have more sex then?" She said softly and Horatio nodded with a smile broadening.

"I'm not going to complain, am I?" He asked and she chuckled and smiled naturally up at him. "Come on, dinner's nearly done." Horatio said softly and she nodded and then re-washed her hands for the 4th time. "Don't you think 4 times is a little excessive?" Horatio asked and she shook her head with an innocent smile while she dried them. He smiled at her and then placed his hand on her back as they walked out.

"I'm going to ring Nathan after dinner, is that okay?" She asked and Horatio nodded.

"If you want to go and see him this evening we can as well." Horatio said softly and a smile appeared across her face. '_He'll probably put us in contact with a family planning centre or something, but Zoë won't listen to them… I know she won't. She'll only listen to Nathan.'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"Thank you Horatio." She smiled sweetly and then walked down the stairs with him.

"Is there anything you'd like for your birthday?" She asked softly as they walked into the kitchen.

"Just you." He smiled and she smiled back.

"Seriously though?" She asked.

"Really. Anyway, our birthdays are a fair few months off yet." Horatio said softly.

"Yeah, but I like to plan in advance." She smiled softly as she placed her hands flat on the cold work surface.

"How about you then?" Horatio asked and she smiled shyly as she bit her lip. "Out with it, what do you want?" Horatio smiled at her boyishly.

"I just want to get pregnant, that's all I want." She said softly and his smile turned a little sweeter.

"We will conceive before our birthdays, they are about 4 months off." Horatio said softly and she smiled sweetly as she nodded while he moved closer to her.

"I hope so." She said softly and he embraced her in another hug before pulling the food out of the oven. He dished up as she got them both a drink and then sat at the island counter with him and ate.

"Have you ever walked in on someone having sex?" Zoë questioned as she looked up at Horatio as he sipped his water. He stifled a cough as he put the glass back down and then swallowed is mouthful of water while he furrowed his eyebrows. He stifled a chuckle as he cleared his throat and looked up at her through his lashes.

"Can I ask you one thing?" He asked and she nodded with a sweet smile. "Please, try and make sure I'm not eating or drinking when you ask these sorts of bizarre questions?" Horatio asked and she giggled quietly as she looked down.

"I'm sorry Horatio, my mind just wanders and before I know it I'm saying the question out loud. It only really wanders when we eat." She said sweetly as she looked back up to him and he couldn't help but smile at her. '_She is cute.'_ Horatio thought to himself as he leant on the counter and allowed his smile to develop more.

"I have and I haven't. Not anyone I know anyway. I've walked in on a few suspects and witnesses who hadn't locked their doors getting intimate with each other, but not the full act of intercourse." Horatio said softly and she nodded, satisfied. "You?" Horatio asked softly with a smile when he saw her blush a light shade of pink.

"Yeah… it's not that pleasant really. I've walked in on Kaitlin banging some short-lived boyfriend and Joe with some ladies – not all at once, obviously." She said as she looked up at Horatio who looked a little shocked as his jaw slacked slightly. "Yes, my facial expression resembled that too…" She said as she looked down at her food and began to pick at it slightly. "It wasn't intentional before you ask. Kaitlin was in the conservatory once and I walked through the conservatory after a bike ride to get into the house, she was just as embarrassed as I was, but we both find it slightly amusing now. I've walked in on Joe doing the deed a couple of times. He didn't seem to mind, I did though. He was once on the floor in the living room and I walked through the living room to get a glass of water at 2AM in the morning… another time I walked into his room as his door was open because I was returning a book for him, I didn't even know he had company. Both of them were short-lived girlfriends, if I can even call them girlfriends. Not very pleasant." Zoë said softly and Horatio looked down with a smile.

"Was that before or after you and Joe were together?" Horatio asked curiously as he looked up at her.

"After." She said softly as she looked up at him and Horatio nodded as he took another mouthful of the steak. "He very rarely brought girls back before us as he didn't want to make me uncomfortable by having sex under the same roof as me. Neither of us were sure what I could take, we weren't sure what would happen if I heard them or if I accidently saw them, so we didn't chance it. It could have re-awakened some buried memories of the abuse, so yeah. He was and is very thoughtful. That and because I was his first proper girlfriend, the girls before that were very short lived and were just about sex, he even admits that. He was a young good-looking man, all of the girls wanted a piece of him." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded with a smile. "Anyway, I'm sorry for making you cough again… I'll try and think about the question before asking you next time." She said shyly and he smiled at her.

"Not a problem sweetheart." Horatio said smoothly and she smiled shyly. Once finished they tidied and Zoë phoned Nathan.

"Hey Nathan, it's Zoë." She said sweetly as she sat between Horatio's legs as he rubbed her stomach while they relaxed back on the sofa.

"Hey Zo, everything okay?" He asked softly with paper lightly rustling in the background.

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk with you when you next have some free time, if that's okay?." She asked softly.

"Certainly, would you like to talk with Doctor Nathan or friend Nathan?" He asked warmly.

"Both really, but I'm much rather talk with you outside the hospital, if that's okay? Is that allowed? It's just that I want advice really. If you can't do that then I can talk with Alexx. I don't want to take up your time when you're at the hospital as there's patients that need your care." She said warmly as she felt Horatio kiss the top of her head lightly.

"Of course, I can come over after work if you'd like?" Nathan said softly as he sat back in his chair and put the paper down.

"That would be great, thank you Nathan." She said softly with a smile as she glanced over to the TV.

"Okay sweet, I'll see you then." He said softly before they hung up.

"He's going to come over after work." Zoë said softly once she put the phone back down on the sofa.

"That gives us about 45 minutes, want to pass the time a different way to watching TV?" He asked as he kissed her neck.

"I really would love to, but what if he wanted to take a look down there, I mean, what if something was physically wrong with me?" Zoë questioned.

"He won't look down there sweetheart, he can't do that here anyway." Horatio said softly.

"But what if something is wrong down there and that's why I'm not getting pregnant?" Zoë asked softly as she turned her head to look at him. He saw that she was concerned.

"Zoë, there is definitely not anything wrong with you down there." Horatio assured her with a warm smile.

"You wouldn't know that though." She said softly as she mildly frowned at her.

"I think I would, don't worry about it." Horatio said softly as he lightly ran his fingers up from her belly button to her ribs and then back down.

"I really don't want sex before Nathan comes round, I'm really sorry. We can after though?" She asked softly, hoping not to upset him.

"Of course sweetheart, that isn't a problem." Horatio said softly with a gentle smile.

"What if I can't have children because I lost Maya? What if the drug they gave me did something and now I can't have children?!" Zoë questioned frantically as she sat up and turned to him and knelt between his legs with a grave expression.

"Calm down sweetheart, that won't happen, that's not true. Don't worry. Sometimes it takes some time to conceive, it doesn't always happen straight away." Horatio said softly as he placed his hands on either side of her head and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. He gave her a reassuring smile but he could still see her worrying. "Take a deep breath, Zoë. It'll be fine, I promise you." Horatio said softly and she nodded and then moved closer to hug him. He played with her hair for a few minutes and felt her relax.

"I'm sorry, I just panicked." She said quietly as she pulled away from him and he nodded with a warm smile. She turned back around and laid back against him as she pulled his arms back around her. He hugged her warmly from behind while she really relaxed back against him and looked over to the TV again. There was a knock at the door and Zoë sprang to her feet and rushed out and pulled Nathan in before Horatio had even got out into the hall.

"Thank you so much." She said as she hugged him.

"No problem. What can I do for you both?" Nathan asked as he rubbed her back with one hand and looked up to Horatio.

"We want to talk" Zoë said softly and he nodded as she pulled away from him. Horatio shook his hand and then gestured for him to go into the living room.

"Would you like a drink, Nathan?" Horatio asked softly as Zoë walked into the living room with Nathan following.

"No thank you Horatio." He said softly and Horatio nodded and then walked through to the living room with them. Zoë sat between Nathan and Horatio and looked up at Nathan as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Nathan, I'm not pregnant yet." She said as he sat down. He sat down fully and then looked up at her with a gentle expression.

"How long have you been trying?" Nathan asked softly as he sat forwards and gave them both his full attention.

"3 weeks now, why aren't I pregnant yet?" She asked as she sat forwards and looked at him with a worried expression.

"Calm down sweet, these things can take some time. You've only been trying for 3 weeks, that's not long at all." He said softly with a gentle smile. He could see that Horatio wasn't worried at all, he knew that it was probably Zoë's idea to call him in the first place.

"What if there's something wrong though? What if it's something to do with losing Maya?" Zoë questioned as her worried expression deepened.

"It's nothing to do with that sweet, don't worry about that. Not everyone gets lucky so quickly. You're perfectly normal Zoë, I know you're both fertile, there's nothing wrong with either of you. It won't just happen at the snap of your fingers." Nathan said softly and she looked at him and then nodded as she bit her lip. He could still see the unease in her eyes, however.

"How am I not getting pregnant now though when I got pregnant when I was on the pill? I don't understand." Zoë said softly and Nathan exhaled lightly as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's just the way it is sometimes, Zoë. It's different every time." Nathan said softly and she sighed as she looked down at her hands between her knees. "Are you stressed?" Nathan asked softly with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I'm not pregnant yet." She said as she looked up at him with a mild frown.

"Have you been stressed for the past few weeks?" Nathan asked and she shrugged.

"I don't know, I mean we don't have an easy job I guess I could be stressed." She said softly and Nathan nodded.

"Horatio, are you stressed?" Nathan asked as he looked to Horatio.

"Not particularly." He replied softly and Nathan nodded, noting his very casual, relaxed posture.

"I think it may be down to stress in this case then. Are you stressed when you get intimate?" Nathan asked and Zoë shook her head.

"No, I'm completely the opposite when we're together and getting intimate." She said softly and Nathan thought to himself as he nodded at her.

"Okay, well I suggest you try and lessen the stress at work and really relax. It could be a factor, but it's only been 3 weeks, if you're still having trouble in 2 months' time, then I'll refer you both for testing but I know you're both fine. Carry on as you are, don't worry about it Zoë. Really, do not worry, it's fine sweet." Nathan said softly and she nodded looking a little relaxed.

"Okay, thank you Nathan." She said softly and he gave them both a warm smile.

"Not a problem." He said smoothly.

"Sorry for dragging you round here so you could tell me exactly what Horatio has been telling me." She said shyly as they all stood.

"That's not a problem, just listen to Horatio; he's right." Nathan said softly and she smiled at him and nodded.

"Thank you." She said warmly.

"If you need anything else, just give me a call, okay?" Nathan asked and she nodded as they walked through to the hall again.

"Take care sweetie." She said softly and then hugged him.

"You too, both of you." He said softly and she smiled at him with a nod as Horatio shook his hand once Zoë had moved away. He quickly left and Zoë turned to Horatio with a shy expression.

"You can say it." She smiled lightly as she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Say what?" Horatio asked softly as they walked through to the kitchen.

"I told you so." She said with a smile.

"It didn't cross my mind." He said smoothly as he flicked the kettle on.

"I'm sorry Horatio; I wanted to hear it from Nathan's mouth. I was just scared that something was wrong." She said softly and Horatio nodded.

"I know sweetheart, I understand that." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a smile as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and then placed her cheek against his back as she took in his aroma. She closed her eyes and ran her hands over his stomach lightly while he made the drinks.

"Can we have sex in the shower or does that have a counter effect if we want a baby?" Zoë asked softly as she relaxed against him.

"Sex in the shower is fine, it doesn't really matter where or what position as long as I'm inside you, sweetheart and as long as you don't wash yourself out after as that could decrease the chances." Horatio said softly and he then felt her nod against his back.

"Can we have a shower together then?" She asked softly.

"Certainly." Horatio said as he smiled down at the two mugs of herbal tea and coffee.

"We have to get pregnant soon, surely?" Zoë asked.

"Yes, but don't forget that the first two weeks of pregnancy generally won't show up on pregnancy tests or anything as you technically aren't pregnant then as fertilisation is still going on. So we've only given it one week. Next week may be a different result." Horatio aid softly and she nodded feeling a little happier.

"You're right. Yeah, hopefully next week." She said as she let go of him and let him turn to hand her the cup of herbal tea. They both smiled at each other and relaxed on the sofa until 10.45PM. They both went upstairs and undressed. Zoë walked into the shower while Horatio was in there and gave him a smile.

"Baby making session?" She asked with a cheeky smile and he boyishly smiled at her and nodded as he pulled her closer.

XXXXXXXX

Horatio climbed into bed while Zoë quickly dried her hair. She turned around and then jumped onto the bed and sat on him with a wide smile. She quickly interlocked her fingers with his as she bent down and then placed a kiss on his lips and sat back up.

"Can you go again?" She asked with a grin and he chuckled.

"Not quite yet sweetheart." Horatio said softly and she nodded.

"Okay." She smiled and then kissed him again and got up and off him and got under the duvet with him and snuggled up against him.

"I can't wait until my tummy gets in the way of us because you'll have to snuggle up with me again." She grinned as she lightly rubbed his chest. He turned onto his side and pulled her closer again with a smile.

"I can always snuggle up to you, your stomach doesn't have to get in the way for me to be snuggling up to you." He said softly and she smiled and then kissed him.

"Can you say tummy?" Zoë asked and he looked at her curiously while she lightly rubbed his nose with hers.

"Tummy?" He asked and she giggled with a grin.

"It's really cute when you say tummy." She smiled and he couldn't help but smile at her. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand to attention when he said it and she felt a magical feeling surge through her.

"I wonder if we'll have a boy or a girl this time." Zoë said softly.

"Do you want to find out as soon as we can, or do you want it to be a surprise?" Horatio asked softly with a smile.

"You answer first." She said softly as she ran her fingertips up his side.

"I'd like to find out when we can." Horatio said softly and she smiled.

"Same." She said and then rolled onto her back. He moved closer to her and pulled her top up to feel her skin beneath his fingers.

"Goodnight handsome, let's hope we get lucky tonight then." She smiled and Horatio nodded.

"Goodnight beautiful." Horatio said softly as he moved his hand to her lower abdomen and very gently rubbed it and she couldn't help but smile as she kissed him.

XXXXXXXX

Eric, Walter, Natalia and Zoë were at a house the next day, investigating a murder where the victim was killed by hanging after being tortured.

"Look, there's a small blood trail." Zoë said softly as she began to follow it from the body to the hall. Eric quickly followed her and studied the blood droplets too.

"He was either walking slowly or being carried, the blood droplets are gravitational with a few pointing towards the living room." Zoë said as she looked up at Eric and Eric nodded. Natalia quickly joined them, but kept behind Zoë as she wasn't sure on what level she sat with Zoë anymore. The two got on really well with each other, but Zoë tended to keep her distance from Natalia which added to the confusion. Natalia was unaware that Zoë had subconsciously kept her distance to avoid any potential questions about Ryan.

"There's some blood on the wall at the bottom – by the skirting board." Natalia said as she crouched and pointed. Zoë quickly crouched beside her and got a few snaps. Eric stood behind Zoë and kept a close eye on Natalia while he also kept his mind on the case. He just didn't want Natalia to cause any arguments due to a curious thought either about Ryan or about Maya as she seemed curious as to why a previous case involving a husband pushing his pregnant wife down the stairs had such an effect on Zoe. Walter then joined them as Natalia got a sample of the blood.

"It looks like it leads to this door." Walter said and they looked up at him and then walked over to him.

"It could be a basement." Natalia said as she pulled her gun from her holster. Eric, Zoë and Walter all did the same.

"Could our killer still be here?" Walter questioned quietly and Zoë nodded at him.

"Our vic isn't long dead." She said quietly. Walter quickly opened the door and Natalia entered first with Eric following. Zoë followed Eric and Walter followed Zoë. They quickly ran down the small flight of stairs as Eric flicked the light switch on. It flickered a little before it came on fully. Natalia tripped at the bottom of the stairs and they heard something click. They then heard the creak of the door and looked back up to see it shutting, forcefully.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Walter ran back up and tried the door while Zoë and Eric scanned the basement and didn't see any immediate threat, it just seemed like a general basement.

"Was that a bomb, or was it just a trigger to close the door?" Zoë asked as she and Eric helped Natalia up after they stepped over the taught wire across the bottom step. Natalia brushed herself down after she thanked both Eric and Zoë before Eric gently pulled Zoë to his other side. '_Well, it can't be a bomb as we're all in one piece still.'_ Zoë thought to herself.

"Guys, this door is locked." Walter called as he turned back around at the top of the old wooden stairs.

"Is there a key?" Zoë asked as she looked up at the boards on the walls where a load of tools hung at the back of the basement. She, Eric and Natalia all rushed over and looked for any sort of key while they rifled through draws and moved tools.

"I can't see any." Natalia said and then turned around to head back up the small flight of stairs and tripped again as she forgot about the wire.

"Nat, look where you're going and be careful." Zoë said firmly as she walked back over to her and pulled her up as she rubbed her forehead after smacking it on one of the steps. Zoë's facial expression then softened as her eyes studied her forehead which looked to be fine. "Be careful." Zoë said again, but much softer as she backed off from Natalia and then walked over to Eric as Natalia walked up the stairs, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I can't see any keys." Eric said as he looked to Zoë. They continued to look around, but there was not even one key in sight.

"Hey, Zoë, Eric… this was a trap." Natalia said as she ran back down the stairs and jumped over the wire with Walter following.

"Be careful, Walter." Zoë said softly and he was careful as he stepped over the wire.

"Why? What makes you say that?" Zoë asked as she looked around and placed her hands on her hips while she tilted her head.

"There's 3 new automatic locks on that door and it was set up to close and lock when that wire was tripped over." Natalia said and Zoë looked around as she lightly bit her lip.

"It could have been to keep something from being taken from down here?" Walter suggested softly.

"Yeah, but my doors are double locked and that can be triggered in various ways. It's nothing unusual to have tight security." Zoë said as she looked back to them with a thinking expression.

"Yes, but you don't have wire laying around your house to trip someone. Well, I would assume anyway…" Natalia said as she looked at Zoë and Zoe nodded as she could see Natalia's point.

"What if our killer came here for whatever could have been hidden down here? The vic disturbed him and was then killed? I mean, if you're looking carefully you would have seen that wire." Eric said and Zoë nodded as she pursed her lips slightly while she tried to piece everything together. None of them seemed particularly alarmed about the fact that they were locked down in a basement of a crime scene until Zoë mentioned it.

"We should probably try and get out of here." Zoë said calmly and they all nodded as they checked their phones but had no signal. "Walter, Nat try and get that door open, Eric and I will look for a key or anything to prise the door open." She said softly and they nodded and went back up and started banging to try and notify the officers outside as well as trying to pull the door open as well as kicking it, but they couldn't get much power behind the kick as they were on a flight of old wooden stairs. Eric and Zoë looked everywhere they could.

"I'm not finding anything, Eric." Zoë said as she placed her hands on her hips and looked at the messy work bench. Parts had been smeared in oil where someone had obviously been working while other parts didn't seem to be touched at all.

"Neither." Eric replied as he looked over to Zoë.

"Any luck up there?" Zoë called as she looked over to the stairs.

"No, this door is not opening." Walter shouted as he ran back down with Natalia following, they were both starting to panic, but Zoë was remaining calm as was Eric. They looked to Zoë as she took a deep breath through her nose while she thought to herself.

"Do you guys smell that?" She asked and they all then took a small sniff while she frowned at them.

"It's sweet." Eric said as he looked to Zoë and she nodded as her eyes began to search the ceiling.

"This room is filling with gas and fast." She said as she looked back at them. They looked around for any windows but there was nothing. Zoë then caught a glimpse of a large piece of plywood that had been screwed into the wall. She quickly walked over to the work benches and climbed up while they all looked at her curiously while Eric quickly rushed after her. "There might be a window behind this board." Zoë said as she began to try and pull the board off the wall, but realised it was screwed in to the wall tightly.

"Be careful, Zoë." Eric said as he stood behind her to make sure she was safe and in case she fell.

"I can't get it off, is there a crowbar or anything?" Zoë asked as she looked around and they shook their heads as their eyes all scanned the work benches.

"Any tools that could be used to get out have been taken by the looks of it… or they were never here." Walter said and Eric helped Zoë down slowly. She stepped foot back on the floor and looked up at Eric with a mild frown developing. She then turned to a door that was half-concealed under the stairs.

"What is that sound?" Natalia asked when they could hear something behind the door.

"I'm not sure… I'm not sure I want to find out either." Zoë said quietly as she frowned worriedly at the door and stepped back as she tilted her head, trying to rattle her brain to work out what the sound was. Her eyes wandered over to Walter who began to walk over to the door.

"Walter, what are you doing?" Eric questioned.

"There may be a way out through the door or something to help us get out at least. It's worth a look, isn't it?" Walter asked as he glanced back to them. They all stepped back and Eric gently but subtly moved to stand before Zoë to try and shield her from any potential threat. '_Better him than me, I guess.'_ Eric thought to himself as Zoë and Natalia placed their hands on their guns to ready themselves for anything. Zoë continued to listen to the noise coming from behind the door and she knew she knew the sound. '_I've heard that sound billions of times before, I swear! What is it?'_ She thought to herself as she frowned at the dark door as Walter took hold of the door handle and began to twist it.

"No! Walter don't!" Zoë yelled when she realised that the noise sounded much like a dog scratching at something. "No Walter!" Zoë shouted as he opened the door a little and then heard the snarling bark of a vicious sounding dog before Walter was thrown back when the door nearly swung off it's hinges when the dog bolted out of the small cupboard it had been trapped in. The large, heavy Rottweiler managed to push Walter to the floor as it towered above him, trying to bite at Walter's face and neck. Walter fought with all he had and managed to avoid the dogs sharp teeth before Zoë pushed Eric out of the way and dove over Walter wrapping her arms around the dogs neck and pulling it to the floor as she placed her hands over it's snout and mouth to hold it's jaws together. She managed to get one leg over the dog to prevent it from getting up but it was extremely strong and she knew that she couldn't be able to hold it down much longer while Eric pulled a very shaken Walter up from the floor.

"Get a rope or something! I can't hold this dog forever!" Zoë shouted at them while Natalia stood there staring at Zoë in shock. Eric and Natalia then sprang into action and darted around the basement with their hearts pumping wildly trying to find anything to tie the dog to something else with. Walter just stood in the middle of the room trembling as he looked down to Zoë holding the dog that was around her weight, probably more.

"I got a rope!" Eric shouted back to Zoë as he turned with the nylon rope in his hands.

"Is it strong enough to hold this dog?" Zoë shouted back and Eric nodded as he rushed over and knelt down and put his weight on the dog too to help Zoë as he could see Zoë really struggling while Natalia and Walter backed off slightly.

"Tie a tight strong loop in one end and then thread the other end through the loop. We can get that over the dogs neck and tie it to something." She said when the dog began to really struggle and she used more force to keep the dog down. "Each time it pulls on the rope, the loop tightens around it's neck, it'll stop the dog from pulling hard." Zoë directed and Eric followed her instructions and made sure that the knots were as tight as he could get it. He got it over the dog's mouth and nose before he took over holding it's strong jaws together while Zoë got the rope around it's neck.

"Okay, can we move the dog over to the wall to tie the rope around the pole?" Zoë asked and Eric nodded.

"Yeah, I've got the dog, we'll drag it because there is no way I'm letting it get to it's feet again." Eric said and he saw the hesitation in her eyes. "Zoë, I'm not letting this dog up." Eric said firmly.

"Just be careful please." Zoë asked and Eric nodded and then began to drag the dog over to the wall with Zoë's help while Walter remained frozen to the spot with bleeding hands and Natalia had moved back even further. '_I swear I can see the devil in that dogs eyes. It's evil!'_ Natalia thought to herself as she swallowed and watched Eric and Zoë reach the pole.

"Okay Zoë, can you get on the dog again? I'll tie the rope?" Eric asked and Zoë nodded and began to try to take over for Eric but the dog moved more and began to get it's jaws free when they tried to swap so Zoë quickly moved back and allowed Eric to apply more force. "Okay, okay don't worry. I've got the dog. Natalia, can you come and help please?" Eric asked as he glanced back to her and she shook her head. "Natalia, please?" He asked but she didn't reply. Zoë exhaled heavily and then picked up the end of the rope and looked to the pole. She threaded it around the back of the pole but her mind drew a blank when she began to think about how to tie it. Eric looked up at her and could see that she was drawing a blank. He knew that she had problems with tying things as Horatio had mentioned it in passing before and he remembered that he didn't see her tying anything when building that temporary shelter when they were stranded on an island.

'_Just give it a go.'_ Zoë thought to herself and tried to work her hands to tie the rope around the pole but it just wasn't working.

"Zoë, don't worry." Eric said warmly before he looked back to Natalia when Zoë began to get frustrated with herself more than anything else. She exhaled forcefully and tried again after she glanced back to Natalia but saw Natalia still just standing there. "Zoë, it's okay." Eric said as he looked back to Natalia.

"Natalia, I need you to come here and help, please. I've got the dog but I can't hold it much longer!" Eric questioned before he glanced over to Walter who was still frozen with his bleeding hands by his sides.

"But–" Natalia started but Eric had begun to get frustrated himself as he knew Zoë was trying her very best to tie the rope around the pole and was still trying which was causing frustration while Natalia stood there and watched.

"Natalia, help, please." Eric asked firmly as he looked at her with a frown, he couldn't work out why she wouldn't help as it was clear that Zoë was really struggling.

"Please Natalia, I'm unable to tie things up. The dog won't get you. I'll also help restrain it if you can tie the rope." Zoë asked when she gave up trying when Eric just stared at her in disbelief. '_What's wrong with her? She's always happy to help.'_ Eric thought to himself. Natalia looked to Zoë and could see that she was very stressed and then stepped forwards with a nod.

"You better not be lying to me about not being able to tie." Natalia grumbled quietly as she moved forwards when Zoë dropped the rope and helped Eric restrain the dog.

"Why would I lie about that right now? Surely the only thing I want to do is tie this dog up rather than sit on it again? I don't even like to admit that I can't tie things up." Zoë grumbled back as Natalia picked up the rope and began to tie it around the pole. She quickly backed off when she'd tied it and then watched Zoë pull on it to make sure it was strong enough. She then pulled it more to tighten it before she looked to Eric and nodded.

"Okay, Zoë get back." Eric said firmly.

"Be careful Eric." Zoë begged firmly back and he nodded.

"Just get back and see to Walter." Eric said warmly and she nodded and then quickly walked over to Walter and placed a hand on his arm as she looked up at his terrified facial expression. His eyes didn't move off the growling dog.

"Please be careful Eric." Zoë begged again as she looked back to him as he readied himself to get up off the dog and move away quickly. He took a deep breath and then stood up quickly before he ran over to Zoë and Walter as the dog began to bark again as it stood up too and began to pull on the rope. '_I hope that rope holds!'_ Eric thought to himself as he stood mostly in front of Zoë again and looked back to the dog which begin to back off again when the rope tightened around its neck.

"Is that a safe way to tie the rope? It's not going to strangle the dog, is it?" Natalia asked.

"No, the dog will back off when it gets too tight, you can buy leads like it to train your dogs not to pull on the lead." Zoë said and Natalia nodded. "Just don't go near it, it looks manic, I don't think it's been fed in a few days." Zoë said as she walked over to a cupboard where she'd seen dog food and then threw a few handfuls of the dried food over to the dog.

"Rottweiler's shouldn't be allowed to be kept as pets." Natalia muttered under her breath as Zoë began to look at Walter's hands while he stood there still entrapped in the hold the vicious dog had over him.

"It's not the dog that's the problem, it's the owners. Most Rottweiler's are gorgeous dogs with a heart of gold. It's just this one has been abused clearly and has been trained to harm other's. Never blame the dog, there is no such thing as a dangerous breed, it's all the owners fault!" Zoë snapped back at her as she raised Walter's hands gently and then pulled her jacket off to wrap one hand up as Eric did the same with his jacket. Natalia backed down from Zoë and remained quiet.

"Walter, you're safe. Can you tell me if you hurt anywhere else?" Zoë asked warmly as her eyes skated around his face, neck and the rest of his body to see if he was hurt anywhere else and Walter shook his head.

"I know that's a scary thing, Walter. But you're going to be okay." Zoë said warmly and Walter nodded as he looked back to Zoë. "From the looks of the wounds, it looks like it's only superficial wounds, they're only light gashes. You managed to keep the dogs head away well." Zoë said warmly and Walter nodded again as he exhaled a long, deep breath.

"Thank you Zoë, you saved my life." He said quietly as he replayed watching Zoë dive over him and take the dog with her again in his mind. He felt eternally grateful towards Zoë who smiled at him warmly.

"It wasn't just me, Eric was a big help, Natalia did help too." Zoë said warmly as she rubbed his arm slightly.

"I'm sorry, I've never been in a situation like that before. I didn't want to get bit too!" Natalia said quietly as she looked at Zoë, Walter and Eric.

"At least you helped out in the end." Zoë mumbled softly before she looked back to the dog who seemed to have calmed down but still looked like it would happily rip the faces off each of them. Zoë took a few deep breaths and then raised one hand to her chest to feel her heart pounding away. '_I think that dog nearly gave me a heart attack.'_ She thought to herself.

"Hey, you okay?" Eric asked warmly, growing a little concerned when he saw Zoë raise a hand to her chest and stepped forwards himself to place his hand on her arm as he thought she was having chest pain as her eyes grew heavier. He then looked over to Natalia who's eyes also seemed to be getting heavier.

"Is it me, or are you guys feeling sleepy?" Zoe asked as she looked up at them with her heart pounding as she began to panic just a little more. They nodded as she coughed lightly. '_No! The gas! No! No! What if it stops me from getting pregnant?! What if it hinders our chances of me conceiving? Horatio will hate me! I need to get out of here now! What if I don't ever have Horatio's baby because of this gas? I'll hate myself! What if I'm in the very early stages of pregnancy now? What if we conceived a few days ago and this hinders the fertilisation stage? Oh my gosh, NO!'_ She shouted at herself in her head. "No! This can't be happening!" She said loudly as she shook her head and began to tremble. She quickly pulled a cloth from her pocket and pulled her phone out to dial for Horatio as she put the cloth over her mouth and nose. She didn't have any signal though so she began to walk around the room in an effort to find signal. She stopped when one bar appeared on the phone and she pressed dial. They all turned to her as she went to push the call button as she looked up. She then looked up at the old-style furnace sat in the corner of the basement and dropped her phone and cloth. She quickly turned as she began to whimper and ran towards Eric.

"Horatio! Where's Horatio!?" She cried as she gripped Eric's biceps and put her head against his chest which caught him completely by surprise.

"Woah, Zoë calm down, you're alright." Eric said, a little confused and startled as he looked from her to Natalia, then to Walter to see if either of them had startled Zoë, but neither had moved.

"I need Horatio now!" She cried and he quickly put his arms around her with a deep frown. He could feel her trembling against his body as she sobbed into his chest as the dog flopped on the floor.

XX

Meanwhile, Horatio was outside with frank, just discussing the case when the conversation turned more personal and friendly.

"How's married life for you then, H?" Frank asked with his half-smile.

"It's great, thank you, Frank." Horatio said with his secret smile appearing as he looked down to the sunglasses that were in his hands as he fiddled with them. '_It's more than great, it's amazing.'_ Horatio thought to himself.

"Yeah?" Frank asked and Horatio glanced up at him.

"Yeah." Horatio said with a nod as he glanced down again. '_Where are the team actually? Usually Zoë will have come out with her bright smile, then it would turn more cheeky when she saw me. My wife… Zoë-Mae Caine. The most perfect person in the world.'_ Horatio thought to himself with a dreamy expression that Frank caught a glimpse of.

"Any little Caine's on the horizon?" Frank asked quietly and Horatio looked up at him with his secret smile, but could feel a burst of energy.

"I'm afraid that's classified, Frank." Horatio said warmly with a bright smile, but he also felt quite smug in that he was trying for a baby with Zoë at that point in time. But he saw Frank's smile widen slightly as he placed his hands on his hips.

"I'm not a detective for nothing, H." Frank replied as he raised his eyebrows.

"We've yet to be lucky, but I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself, please Frank." Horatio admitted, as he just needed to tell someone that there was the potential for a baby on the way.

"Keeping it to myself is my middle name… or names, H. I hope you get lucky soon. I've not seen you this happy since–" Frank begun but stopped himself and then looked down at the floor.

"Since Maya?" Horatio asked as he knew that was what he was going to say.

"Yeah, H. Sorry." Frank admitted quietly with a nod.

"I've most certainly been this happy since Maya, it's just a different happy. You'd understand if you had a wife like Zoë and were trying for a baby, it's definitely a different happy." Horatio said warmly and Frank nodded with a small smile.

"Anyway, I think we have some work to do. There's a large crowd building." Frank said as he glanced over to the tape and Horatio nodded and began to walk over to the tape with Frank and saw a camera crew turn up.

XX

"Are you okay Zoe? What's wrong?" Natalia asked softly as she approached Zoë and reached out to touch her back, all were startled by her sudden and extreme change in behaviour and none of them could work out why.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed as she tried to get away but Eric held her tightly against him as he knew that she'd do something stupid if he let go of her. Natalia quickly moved back and looked to Walter who looked at Zoë very worriedly.

"Give me her phone now." Eric ordered Natalia as Walter backed away with wide eyes, horrified. Natalia quickly handed it to him and she pressed the call button before moving away very quickly while Zoë held onto Eric tightly. He kept one arm wrapped around her as he raised his other hand to his ear with the phone as it called Horatio.

"I'm on my way in beautiful." Horatio said warmly as he answered his phone, Eric could tell that Horatio had a smile on his face. '_Please don't cut out on me.'_ Eric pleaded the phone as he knew that signal was scarce in the basement as he'd previously checked his phone.

"H, it's Eric." He said just after Horatio had finished talking.

"Eric?" Horatio questioned sounding confused and his worry began to immediately build.

"Yes, we're stuck in the basement, we think it was a trap, it's filling with gas as we speak." Eric said and he heard Horatio take a sharp intake of air as he began to run into the house.

"Officers with me now." Horatio ordered the officers outside. Two officers quickly followed Horatio in. "Where?" Horatio questioned Eric when he got into the house and looked around.

"The basement, there's a door on the left in the hall, it's locked we can't get out and there's no windows. Zoë is… I don't know. Something's wrong, H." Eric said as he held Zoë and Horatio could hear her crying, which had his heart beating even faster and harder.

"What's happened?" Horatio questioned furiously.

"I don't know, she just turned around and then ran at me as she began to cry, calling for you. I don't know what to do." Eric said as he panicked while he held her tightly in an effort to give her a sense of security as it was clear that she was terrified of something.

"It's okay Zoë, I'm talking to Horatio now." He said softly as he looked down at her while she clung to him, sobbing hysterically.

"I need Horatio! Please!" She begged him as she looked up at him with tears streaming from her eyes.

"I'm trying Zo." Eric said as he looked into her pain-ridden eyes before she buried her face in his chest again and sobbed more.

"What's down there?" Horatio questioned Eric and Eric looked around again.

"Nothing other than some work tables. It's just a normal basement. There was a vicious dog, but it seems to be sleeping now… I think the gas has something to do with that as we're feeling sleepy too. We need an ambulance here, Walter's been bit quite bad." Eric said with a frown as Natalia and Walter also looked around for anything out of the ordinary. Eric then heard Horatio order a couple of officers to radio for ambulances.

"Okay, you need to calm her. Run your hand through her hair and rub her back if she'll allow you. Hand the phone to her." Horatio said softly and Eric quickly placed the phone against Zoë's ear as she took hold of it and he ran a hand through her hair as he rubbed her back and felt her relax a little as she continued to hold onto him with closed eyes.

"Horatio, where are you?" She questioned while she continued to cry.

"I'm right outside sweetheart, don't panic. I will get in there." Horatio said softly and she could hear his determination which made her feel a little better but she continued to tremble against Eric.

"There's gas, what if it stops… what if?" Zoë questioned but couldn't finish her sentence and Horatio picked up on her slurring slightly but also her sheer terror.

"It's okay Zoë, don't worry about that. What's bothering you? Something else is bothering you." Horatio said softly as he tried kicking at the door after the officers tried picking the lock as Natalia walked over to the work bench and leant against it as she tried to keep her eyes open herself.

"The furnace" she cried and Eric looked up at the furnace, confused. Both Natalia and Walter turned to look at the furnace, both were also confused.

"Okay what about the furnace sweetheart?" Horatio asked, hoping to try and calm her down via the phone, he knew his voice would have been helping her somewhat.

"He tried to burn me! He's going to come back! I don't want to talk about it here." She cried as she began to really slur her words. Eric had a slight inclination as to what was going on while Walter remained a little confused but had vague guess while Natalia was completely in the dark.

"What? We having tried to burn you!" Natalia slurred as she stood up and began to walk over to Zoë.

"Natalia, away now. Don't get involved in this." Eric warned lowly as he shot her a look to say don't argue with him.

"Okay sweetheart, don't panic, I'm right outside now, we're trying to get in." Horatio said softly and reassuringly, but he could hear her crying still. "Pass me back to Eric for the moment please, sweetheart." Horatio said calmly and she did as he asked before she wrapped her arm around Eric again.

"Eric, I need you to cover the furnace up with something. Try and gesture to Natalia to stay back, she'll make the situation worse. I can hear them both slurring, try and get them to slow their breathing down." Horatio said softly and Eric looked up to Natalia.

"Nat, can you cover that furnace please?" He asked and she nodded when he gave her the 'don't mess around' look.

"Yeah, that's done, H." Eric said slurred himself when he watched Natalia cover it up with an old, dusty sheet.

"Okay, we're trying to get in now, stay calm Eric. Get her to slow her breathing down, you too Eric." Horatio said softly when he could hear both of their rapid, deep breathing as Natalia leant back against the work surface with her head spinning and her eye-sight darkening.

"Zoë, I need you to take a deep breath for me, can you do that? I'll do it with you. Natalia, slow your breathing down too." Eric asked and Zoe nodded as she took a deep breath with him while Natalia was too far gone to even hear what Eric had said. "Natalia, hold on." Eric said as he tried to move but felt that he had a hold of Zoë's weight too so he couldn't move over to Natalia to help her as well.

"H, I think I heard Zoe wheeze." Eric said quietly as she sobbed again but much slower and quieter into Eric's chest. Eric knew that both Zoë and Natalia were first affected because they were much smaller and that Natalia was affect more than Zoë because Zoë had remained a lot more calm during the dog situation than Natalia had.

"Is her inhaler on her?" Horatio questioned as he began to really kick at the door as hard as he could and with everything he had.

"Zoë, do you have your inhaler?" Eric questioned as he began to panic himself again which caused his breathing to speed up again.

"I don't know." She slurred heavily as her arms loosened around his waist.

"Check her pockets Eric." Horatio said softly when he heard her slurred, barely audible answer and Eric quickly checked them, trying his best to avoid touching her inappropriately as he had to get his hand inside her jacket pockets and she was against him. He pulled out her inhaler and looked at it with confusion clouding most of his thought processes. He looked over to Natalia who'd slowly made her way to the floor to sit against the bench with her head slumped forwards.

"Yeah she has, but I…I." Eric began to slur more as his vision darkened considerably. He felt his body become a lot heavier and it felt like a lot more effort to keep himself up as well as Zoë.

"You what?" Horatio questioned, frantically as he kicked at the door again.

"Zoë, stay with me." Eric said breathlessly and quietly before he dropped the phone and tried his best to hold her up as he dropped her inhaler also. "Walter…" Eric slurred before his head dropped slightly as his body came close to collapsing while Zoë had also been claimed by unconsciousness.

"Eric?!" Horatio shouted down the phone loud enough for them to hear Horatio outside the door. Both Zoë and Eric fell to the floor next. "Eric?!" Horatio shouted again. Walter quickly rushed over to them as he knew he wasn't going to upset Zoë as she was out cold.

"Eric? Zoë? Can you hear me? Natalia, can you hear me?" Walter questioned before he picked up the phone after unwrapping one of his hands. "H, this room is filling with a gas, I'm not going to last much longer either." Walter slurred on the phone as he looked at both Eric and Zoë.

"Walter, take their pulses." Horatio ordered him and he did just that with one of his bloody hands as he held the phone between his ear and shoulder.

"They're a little slow, but okay." He slurred on the phone and then looked round to see if he could find anything to help them.

"Are you all away from the door?" Horatio asked firmly as he ran to his hummer and pulled a load of tools from the back.

"Yeah." Walter mumbled as he sat by Zoë and Eric leaning on his other hand on the floor while his head span. Walter then dropped the phone as Horatio hung up and began to bash the door with the tools he had. Frank and the other officers helped.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Horatio and Frank managed to pull the very hard and thick wooden door apart and Horatio quickly jumped through the small gap and ran down the stairs. He saw the wire and hopped over to it and then ran over to the 4 of them. Walter was clinging on to consciousness while the other 3 were all on the floor completely out of it.

"Where are these ambulances?!" Horatio shouted as he quickly took Zoë's pulse as he crouched on the floor. He then leant over to Eric and took his pulse. "Walter, you're going to be okay Walter." Horatio said clearly as he got up and rushed over to Natalia to take her pulse too. "We need to get some circulating air in here now!" Horatio shouted when he could smell the strong sweetness in the air. Horatio picked up Zoë's phone and inhaler and stuffed them in his pocket before he lifted Zoë's knees and got his arms under her just as fire & rescue ran in.

"Eric Delko - no medical conditions, Natalia Boa Vista – no medical conditions, Walter Simmons – also no medical conditions. This is Zoë Caine, she has asthma and has a pacemaker." Horatio said and they nodded at him from behind their gasmasks.

"Get her out of here, we've got these 3." The chief said and Horatio nodded and then rushed out with Zoë in his arms. He squeezed through the door as some officers tried to make the hole bigger, but it was extremely hard wood, something else must've been added to the wood to make it harder.

"How are they H?" Frank questioned as he followed Horatio out while fire and rescue continued to pull the door down to create a bigger hole.

"Eric and Natalia are unconscious, Walter is holding on. It's full with gas down there, get out of the house." Horatio ordered Frank and Frank rushed out with him. Horatio ran over to one of the awaiting 4 ambulances and laid her on a bed.

"Zoë Caine, 28, gas inhalation, she has asthma and a pacemaker." Horatio said as the paramedics immediately put oxygen on her as well as a nebulizer as she was wheezing. One quickly unbuttoned her shirt and began to listen to her breathe properly using the stethoscope.

"Do you know what gas?" One asked and Horatio shook his head.

"Are you related?" One of the paramedics asked as he looked to Horatio.

"I'm her husband." Horatio said softly and they nodded as Frank walked over to the back of the ambulance to see what was going on but looked at Horatio as Zoë's shirt was undone. Horatio looked back over to Frank when he heard him halt at the back of the ambulance. "Frank, stay here with her for the moment I need to get the portable gas chromatography machine." Horatio said as he placed his hand on Zoë's stomach and Frank nodded and then climbed into the ambulance just as the paramedic pulled her shirt closed again and pulled a blanket up over her. Horatio quickly ran over to the hummer and pulled the machine out and walked back in just as the others were carried out on stretchers. Once Horatio had the result he ran out and threw the machine into the back of the hummer and locked it. He then jumped back into the ambulance as Frank got out and looked back to Horatio.

"She's coming round, H." Frank said softly and Horatio nodded and then sat down beside her and took a tight hold of her hand as his eyes planted themselves on Zoë's face.

"You're okay sweetheart, stay calm." Horatio said softly as he leant closer and placed his other hand on her stomach. He looked up at both paramedics while they continued to monitor her. "There were two gases, Desflurane and Sevoflurane, I believe they're used in combination as a general anaesthetic, or used to be anyway." Horatio said to the paramedics and they nodded and relaxed much more.

"Thank you sir." One said as he quickly made his way out of the ambulance to inform the other paramedics.

"Frank, how are the others doing?" Horatio questioned and Frank quickly checked up on them before returning to the back of the ambulance where Zoë and Horatio were.

"Walter is fully conscious and his hands are being treated, Natalia is getting there and so is Eric. They'll all be fine." He said and Horatio nodded. One paramedic quickly listened to her heartbeat, it sounded normal so he was happy.

"Horatio" she said quietly as she placed her hand over his on her stomach and opened her eyes slowly and looked towards his bright red-hair as her sight seemed a little blurry.

"You're okay sweetheart. I'm here." Horatio said softly as he placed his other hand over hers and Frank walked away to give them some privacy.

"Baby" she said as she looked up at Horatio while she blinked a bit more.

"Are you pregnant, Mrs Caine?" One paramedic asked and she shook her head as her eyes wandered up to the man in a light blue shirt.

"We're trying." Horatio said softly and the paramedic nodded with a soft expression as Zoë looked back to Horatio.

"Gas." Zoë said as she squeezed his hand and focussed on Horatio more.

"Don't worry sweetheart, it was just an anaesthetic." Horatio said softly and she exhaled a long sigh of relief as she briefly closed her eyes.

"It won't hinder your chances." The paramedic said softly and she nodded as she looked up at him. She looked over to Horatio and he saw her in the early stages of crying.

"You're okay, you're safe." Horatio said as he got up and sat on the edge of her bed. "You're safe Zoë." Horatio said softly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb and looked into her eyes. She nodded and swallowed as she looked up and into his loving blue eyes.

"How are the others?" She asked softly as she reached up and took a light hold of his wrist that was against her cheek and then lightly kissed the palm of his hand as she furrowed her brow at him.

"They're recovering too." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded with a gentle expression.

"Okay Mrs Caine, we're not going to take you into hospital, but we advise if you go and see your GP if you're at all worried about anything, or if you have prolonged dizziness, nausea, headaches, anything like that." One paramedic said softly and she nodded with a relieved expression.

"Thank you." She said softly and the paramedic smiled sweetly at her and then took the oxygen mask off her. "Thank you again." She said softly as she sat up and did her buttons up and then took Horatio's hand. He helped her up and out of the ambulance and it made a quick getaway when another emergency was called in. Horatio supported Zoë as she was still feeling a little weak and wobbly. They walked over to the other 3 ambulances to see Walter having his hands cleaned and bandaged up in the back of the first ambulance.

"Thank you again Zoë, without you, I could have been so much worse. How are you feeling?" Walter asked warmly as he tilted his head.

"No worries Walter. I'm feeling much better thank you. I'm sorry for that breakdown in there too." Zoë apologised quietly and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"That's okay Zoë. What was it about?" He asked curiously.

"Erm… I'd rather not go into it, please?" Zoë asked quietly as she moved closer to Horatio and looked down to the floor.

"Of course." Walter replied warmly.

"What's happening, Walter, are you heading off to the hospital?" Horatio asked and Walter nodded.

"Yeah, I need these stitched and a few jabs. I'm good though, I only need stitches, I'll be out in a couple of hours." Walter said as animal control walked past with the dog in a cage still out cold while Horatio nodded at Walter.

"Okay Walter, give me a call if you need anything, okay?" Horatio asked and Walter nodded.

"Thank you H. Thank you both." He said warmly and Horatio gave him a nod and then looked to the next ambulance to see Eric and Natalia walking out from the back of the ambulances too. They then walked over to Eric and Natalia and stopped just by Walter's ambulance.

"How are you both doing?" Horatio asked warmly.

"I'm good thanks." Natalia replied and Horatio nodded before he looked back to Eric who also nodded but then began to lean to the side.

"Are you sure, Eric?" Horatio asked as he quickly moved and held Eric's arm and gently pushed him to stand back up straight.

"Yeah sorry H, my head's still spinning a little, but I'm good. I've been cleared." Eric said and Horatio nodded as he continued to hold Eric's upper arm for a couple of minutes.

"Thank you for everything in there, Eric." Zoë said warmly and he smiled warmly back at her.

"No problem, thank you for your help too." He replied and she nodded before she looked to Natalia and then down at the floor. Horatio then let go of Eric's arm and put his arm around Zoë's shoulders and looked down to her. Eric and Natalia then walked away as they could see that Horatio wanted some privacy. Once they'd left, Zoë moved closer to Horatio and wrapped her arms around his waist as she placed her head against his chest.

"We think that there may be or has been something down in that basement, enough to warrant such a system to trap and gas anyone who tried to get it." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded as he looked down to her and lightly rubbed her back.

"Did you find anything down there?" Horatio asked softly.

"No, but we were too focused on trying to get out." Zoë said softly and Horatio nodded with a gentle expression as Eric walked over to them.

"I'm going with Walter to the hospital, I'll update you later." Eric said warmly and Horatio nodded as Zoë turned her head to look at Eric with a gentle expression.

"If you need a lift home later, give me a call." Horatio said warmly and Eric nodded with a smile and then walked away to get into the back of the ambulance just as Natalia walked over to them next. Zoë stepped back from Horatio, but remained close to him while she held his hand.

"I'll have another team out, we're going home. Miss Boa Vista, you should too." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a relieved sigh.

"How are you feeling?" Horatio asked gently.

"I'm good thank you H." Natalia replied and he nodded.

"Are you safe to drive or would you like a lift back to yours?" Horatio asked warmly.

"I'm good thank you, I'll be fine, I can get a taxi, thank you H." She said and he nodded.

"If you won't accept the lift, then please get a taxi. I don't want you driving that hummer back, okay?" Horatio said and she nodded and then looked down to the ground. "See you tomorrow, Miss Boa Vista." Horatio said warmly before he turned with Zoë and rubbed her back as they walked over to his hummer and drove back to the lab.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly and she nodded while he lightly rubbed her thigh.

"I just need a cup of tea and some snuggles with you." She said quietly and Horatio nodded with a soft smile. He then reached over and took a light hold of her hand as she looked out of the side window. Once they arrived at the lab, they got into Horatio's car after dropping the hummer off and then drove home.

"Do you want to talk about the incident down there?" Horatio asked softly, breaking the silence and she looked around to him with a mild frown.

"You know what happened." She said a little confused.

"I mean with the furnace? Eric was a little startled." Horatio said softly and she swallowed as she looked down to her lap. She took a deep breath before she looked up and out of the window as she clasped her hands together.

"My father tried burning me with the old furnace in our basement once; he wanted to try a cream he had developed… Josh stopped him as I was inches from it, but instead my father burnt him and made me watch. He was drunk again and had pulled me from my bed, kicking and screaming which alerted Josh." Zoë said quietly as she looked back down as she pressed her lips together and tensed her muscles as she exhaled a broken breath, keeping herself together.

"Where was your mother?" Horatio questioned, startled as he glanced over to her.

"I don't know, she was either tied up somewhere fearing the fucked up rape that was to come or unconscious. They were ever the only two reasons why she'd never come to our rescue. She once ran down the stairs after he'd broken her leg to save me from his monstrosity." She said bitterly as she played with her fingers and Horatio nodded silently. He then moved his hand and took hold of hers as they pulled up onto the drive. She gave him a small smile and then got out and walked up the path as she wrapped her arms around herself. He walked up behind her, feeling bad for her again and then walked into the kitchen after her once he'd closed the front door.

"You're safe Zoë, you know that, don't you?" Horatio asked and she nodded as she flicked the kettle on.

"Yeah, I know. It's just a memory, it'll pass." She said quietly as she looked down at the work surface after pulling two mugs from the cupboard. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and stomach as he stood behind her, holding her close as he placed his chin on her shoulder.

"Shall we go for a walk after this?" Horatio asked softly and she nodded with a small smile tugging at her lips while she made two coffees.

"Please." She said softly. Horatio nodded and then placed a soft kiss on her cheek. The more she thought about Horatio hugging her from behind, the better she felt. He noticed this as he could feel her relaxing and using smoother movements to make the coffees rather than fast, sharp movements. "What was the gas?" She asked softly as she stirred both coffees.

"Desflurane and Sevoflurane, when used together it's a general anaesthetic. No harm to you or any potential baby." Horatio said softly and she nodded, feeling a little better again.

"Thank you Horatio." She said softly and he gently rubbed her stomach lightly. "Sofa?" She asked a little more chirpy and he nodded and then picked up his coffee after he released her while she picked hers up.

"Thank you beautiful." He said softly and she gave him a smile and then walked through with him.

"I think I really scared Eric." She said quietly as she sat beside Horatio.

"He just wasn't expecting that sweetheart, you didn't scare him. He'll understand." Horatio said softly as he gave her a reassuring smile as he flicked the TV on.

"I'm going to call him if you don't mind?" Zoë asked and Horatio gave her a smile and nod as he turned the volume right down.

"Go right ahead." He said as he handed her phone back. She leant back with her cup of coffee and leant against Horatio as she brought the phone up to her ear to hear the dial tone.

"Hey Eric, how are you sweetie?" She asked softly as Horatio placed his free hand over her thigh while he sipped his coffee. '_It always tastes better when she makes it.'_ He thought to himself.

"I'm good thank you Zoë, I'm on my way home now, how are you?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm good thanks. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for running at you earlier and being a general mess." She said softly, both Eric and Horatio could hear the sorrow and guilt in her voice.

"That's not a problem Zoë, you don't need to apologise for that." Eric said softly.

"I wanted to apologise, I think I owe you an explanation too." She said softly, but they could both tell that she was hesitant.

"You don't have to explain anything Zo, just as long as you're okay, I'm happy." Eric said softly, trying to reassure her.

"Thank you Eric. Yes, I'm fine now I've got my cup of coffee and Horatio." She said softly and he chuckled quietly. '_I could do with a cup of coffee and company too.'_ Eric thought to himself with a small smile.

"Okay Zoë, take care, I'll see you tomorrow." He said softly.

"See you tomorrow sweetie." She said softly before hanging up and dropping the phone to the sofa. "He's such an angel." Zoë said softly as she put her head down against Horatio's shoulder while he turned the TV volume up a little.

"I told you he'd understand sweetheart." Horatio said softly as he lightly rubbed her thigh.

"I know, but I wanted to make sure." She said softly and Horatio nodded. After their drinks, they went outside and walked up the beach and returned home about 6PM.

"What would you like for dinner?" Horatio asked softly as they walked through to the kitchen.

"How about I make something tonight?" She asked and Horatio looked at her with a smile.

"I can make pasta, Zoë." He said softly and she chuckled as she shook her head with a smile.

"I want to make you something though." She said softly as she bit her lip while they stopped in the middle of the kitchen.

"If you'd like to, go ahead." He smiled softly and she nodded as a wide smile developed.

"Okay, go and do whatever while I do this then." She smiled and he nodded and kissed her before he left and walked into the study. He rang through to the lab to find out about that mornings case and spoke with a temporary CSI called Sarah.

"Yeah, we've discovered that our vic was the owner of the house and that there was a break in. So far it looks like our vic startled the burglar and our burglar turned into a killer, using anything he could find to torture and eventually hang him. We've found large amounts of heroin and meth down in the safe that was in the basement and it looks like our burglar broke in for that. Our vic was a dealer that had done his best to make sure that his basement was sealed off if anyone did try to steal his stash. Obviously, the killer made off with the drugs and didn't trigger the locking of the door." The CSI explained and it all seemed to fit into place in Horatio's head now.

"Thank you Sarah, let me know if you get the killer today." Horatio said warmly before he hung up and clicked onto the laptop. Zoe walked into the study 50 minutes later with a smile.

"Dinner is ready." She called cheerfully as she smiled at him, he turned on the chair and then stood. He studied her facial expression and couldn't tell whether she was generally happy or whether she'd done something and found it funny.

"What have we got?" Horatio asked softly as he made his way over to her slowly.

"Toast with orange juice, if you're lucky I can put some cheese on top." She said with a chirpy smile. Horatio chuckled as a brilliant smile crossed his face.

"Really?" He asked as she took his hand and led him through to the kitchen, but it was not toast that she had made.

"No, I'm not that awful, we've got lamb chops with a sauce that I made all by myself may I add, vegetables and roasted potatoes with salad to start off with." She smiled and Horatio looked down at the counter and was quite surprised – it all looked exquisite. "I promise I won't kill you with food poisoning." She smiled and Horatio chuckled. She got them a glass of water and then sat down opposite Horatio.

"This does look really good, Zoë and it smells it too." Horatio said as he cut up a piece of lamb chop. She smiled at him as she took her first bite of the lamb. They both savoured the lamb as it fell apart in their mouths.

"Cooked beautifully as well, you are not as bad at cooking as you make out to be." Horatio smiled at her and she smiled shyly, but agreed with him as she'd even surprised herself.

"I'm slightly surprised at myself if I'm honest. But I think I picked it up from you. I've watched you plenty of times." She said softly and he smiled warmly.

"I don't think I'll be the main cook of the house any longer." He smiled and she giggled. "The sauce is really nice too, how'd you make it?" Horatio asked and she shrugged while he took another bite of the delicious food.

"I tried following a recipe… but we didn't have all of the stuff so I just put whatever I could find in there. I'm not sure what's in there really, I wasn't concentrating as I was too busy listening and perhaps even dancing to music. I think there may even be some cinnamon in there." She smiled and Horatio chuckled again as she looked at him with a widening smile. He was highly amused but knew she was probably dancing away as he could hear the music from the study.

"You are brilliant, do you know that?" He smiled brightly at her and she shrugged shyly as she looked down at the plate as she bit her lip. "I'm complimenting you Zoë, only you could deviate from the recipe and create something wonderful like this." Horatio smiled at her and she gave him a smile again but looked more confident.

"Thank you Horatio." She said softly as she ate a forkful of vegetables.

"Are the vegetables cooked? I wasn't sure if I'd done them correctly." She asked softly once her mouthful was finished.

"They're just right, perfect again." Horatio smiled and she smiled at him, gaining confidence again.

"I might give this whole cooking lark a proper go in the future then." She smiled as she looked back down at the plate. "You aren't just saying this, are you?" She asked softly as she looked back up at him.

"No sweetheart, this really is good." Horatio assured her and she smiled as she nodded, she did think it was good, but Horatio's opinion was the only thing that mattered in her head.

"You should definitely give cooking a proper go." He smiled and she nodded with a growing smile again.

"You're getting an extra special treat tonight." She smiled at him and he chuckled again and finished his plate.

"That was beautiful, beautiful." Horatio said softly and she smiled at him as she finished hers. She gave him a smile and then picked up his plate with hers and put them away while Horatio finished the glass of water she'd set out for him.

"I think it's an early night for us tonight, don't you think?" She asked softly and he smiled with a nod.

"Great." She beamed as she stood back up and then placed their glasses in the dishwasher. "Film, bath and then bed?" She asked and he nodded again as he stood up. "Come on then handsome." She smiled as he walked into the living room with her. She sat in the corner before he had a chance to get there. "Can you sit between my legs this time, please?" She asked and he nodded and then sat down.

"Tell me if I'm too heavy." He said softly and she smiled with a nod as she delicately pulled him back.

"Do you want a pillow or are my boobs comfortable?" She asked softly as he laid back on her slowly.

"They're very comfortable." He smiled and she chuckled while he exhaled lightly, feeling very comfortable.

"Excellent." She smiled as she moved her hands from his shoulders to his chest. She rested her forearms on his shoulders while she undone the top few buttons and let her hands wander down and into his shirt. She felt his chest hair beneath her palms and fingers and she smiled as she looked over to the TV.

"I can see why you like to sit like this now." He said softly and she chuckled. They watched the TV for a little while and Horatio found himself dozing while Zoë's hands lightly wandered aimlessly around his upper body. He woke when he felt her kiss his forehead.

"I need a cup of tea handsome, I'll be right back." She said softly and he sat up to let her get off the sofa. She slowly got up and turned back to him with a gentle, tired smile. "Would you like a coffee?" She asked and he nodded as he shuffled back sleepily. She came back through and sat down and handed him his coffee. She drank most of her tea before sitting back between Horatio's legs.

"I'm going to run a bath." She said softly after 30 minutes as she got up and then took Horatio's mug too as he nodded at her. He pulled himself up from the sofa and turned the TV off. He had a quick shower and then walked out in his night pants as she laid on the bed, naked as she bit her lip. She looked down at his boxers as he immediately came alive when his eyes settled on her glorious naked body while she laid on her side.

"I think you're wearing too much." She said softly with a grin and he quickly kicked them off and walked over to the bed. He crawled over to her and then placed his hands either side of her shoulders as he leant down and smiled boyishly at her.

"That was a nice surprise." He said softly before they initiated a deep kiss.

The End

**Thank you for reading and those who have reviewed, my next story is "Close Call". **


End file.
